Her Way
by MoMo the Mesh Monster
Summary: I loved all the little things she did. Her ways of showing she cared, in the strange and sometimes confusing way, allowed me to see the true her. It's her way of wrapping me around her expensive finger...


**Hello hello! Lemme guess. You're surprised to see a MitsuruxMC (Takeshi Myzouki!) again, right? Well, I really haven't done that many but so far I'm up to three! I need to do a YukoxMC pairing since I don't think I've seen any yet. . . How sad. Is there no love for Yuko? Aaaanyway, I kind of think this one was half-way descent but I don't want to toot my own horn, so please PLEASE give me feedback. I love feedback! It's so tastey! Meeeeesh!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything of or from Persona 3, no "if"s, "and"s, or "but"s.**

* * *

I watched her as she strode across the floor. As she approached the bar, she muttered to herself. "Why do we even have a bar in here? It would be more sensible to have a refrigerator instead." She opened the top cabinet and pulled out a glass. Before shutting it, she looked back at me. "Will I need two glasses, or just one?" That was her way of asking if I wanted anything to drink. I shook my head. She closed the cabinet and poured the soda into her glass. She advanced toward me, sitting down in the chair opposite of me. "I normally don't drink soda, but I decided that I would as a sort of . . . celebration," she said.

I cocked my eyebrow. "Celebration? What for?" I responded.

Staring at the floor, she sighed. She brought her hand to her upper forearm, her red hair cascading across her shoulder. "Honestly, I'm not quite sure, but I feel as if there's something I need to be celebrating." I stared at her, befuddled. Celebrating with a soda for something that she doesn't even know what her reason for the celebration is – that was definitely her way.

* * *

We sat behind the jungle gym at the shrine. Our dog Koromaru was running amok, leaving the two of us to ourselves. Winter had set in, so we were bundled in our winter wear. I kept my hands in my pockets, attempting to keep them somewhat warm. I stared at her out of the corner of my eyes; I watched her breath form in the winter air. It was peaceful observing the steady rhythm of her breathing, occasionally being jerked off the set pace by her trembling. She seemed more sullen than normal . . . Staring at the ground like that, she looked as if she was angry. I turned my head and faced her. "Are you all right?" I asked her.

My words must have shocked her, snapping her out of the trance she was in. "Me?" she asked coyly. "I'm fine . . . really, I am." _Really_. Did she honestly have to add that in? It was her way, though, of trying to drop the conversation quickly without seeming suspicious.

"You positive?" I questioned again. She let out a small huff.

"I'm telling the truth. I'm fine. Not perfect, not horrible, just . . . fine," she said. I knew what she was doing. She wouldn't look at me directly, fearing I would notice the fog enshrouding her face. But her eyes, her _eyes _could never deceive. They were windows that revealed her pain but could not stop others from looking in; they were simply curtain-less. I sighed, upset that she still couldn't trust me with how she felt. With a look of concern on my face, I placed a hand on her back. She looked up at me, and I knew that it was her way of letting me know she would open up to me someday.

* * *

I stepped out of the classroom during lunch, catching her in the halls. I casually glanced at her since she was still at the end of the hall. Everyone watched her walk, her black knee-high boots clicking on the tile floor with every step she took. I pulled my hands out of my pockets, giving her a slight wave. A small smile stretched across her face. She stopped in front of me, arms folded in front of her chest. "Tak- Myzouki," she caught herself from saying my first name. "Why are you spending your time out here? Shouldn't you be studying?"

I smiled. It was her way of worrying about my grades. "I've been paying attention all day, so I figured I needed a break," I replied.

She sighed. "If you say so . . . but if I find out that your grades are suffering, then I'll make sure you buckle down and focus on your studies," she sharply replied without missing a beat.

"Hah," I let out a small laugh. "I promise. I wouldn't want to disappoint you, now would I?"

She closed her eyes, allowing her smile to come back. She hated it when I teased her so. "Remember, if you do well on your exams, I'll give you a reward," she said. I decided to challenge her with a smirk. She permitted a small laugh to escape her lips. "Please. Don't take it out of context." And with that, she strolled off, leaving me in defeat. It was her way of showing me who ran things around here.

* * *

I approached her. She stood where she always did on the days that Student Council didn't meet. I stopped right next to her, our shoulders almost brushing. With a smile tugging at her lips, she quickly looked over at me. "So what brings you here?" she enquired. My hands slid into my pants' pockets, while I read the poster I was staring at.

"I just thought I'd drop by. That's all," I replied after a few minutes.

"That's all, hmm?" she prodded. Unexpectedly, she turned to face me. Figuring it was something serious, I faced her too. I stared into her amber colored eyes, waiting for her to speak. "I don't really know how to put this, but I don't think we should talk too often at school, Takeshi," she said. I felt a small pang in my heart. "Here, hold on for a second. Let me fix that." She grabbed my tie, fixing the mess I had made out of it earlier this morning. For a split instant, I felt ten years older; with her fixing my tie like that, it made me feel like we were married . . . I smiled sheepishly at her action. "Don't worry, Takeshi. No one saw us," she told me. With a slight blush covering her cheeks, she looked into my eyes. "We don't need words to communicate how we feel." My cheeks grew hot as well. Saying something like that, it was her way of throwing me completely off guard.

* * *

I released a sigh, staring at the playing cards sprawled before me. My game of solitaire was not going well, not at all. I had racked up a fairly large debt to myself, $922 to be precise. I hadn't won a single game. I inwardly sighed. One card remained. It was mocking me, laughing at me, spitting in my face. I was just about to give up, when I heard the dormitory's main door open. "You're back, huh?" I said to the red head.

"Worried about me?" she asked slyly. I huffed, letting her comment slide. She walked up behind where I was sitting on the couch. She leaned over, peering at my game of solitaire, and for a faint moment, I could smell the luxurious scent of her hair before she pulled away. "I'm assuming you're losing as usual," she stated.

A mixture of shock and distress filled my face. "How . . . did you know?" She lightly giggled. She smiled and pointed. My eyes followed her arm, stopping for a second when I noticed her fingernails were painted a dark shade of red. I looked at the only card I had left to flip over. "I see," I calmly replied. "Well, I should just stop now since I have slim chances that it'll be the one card that I need."

She cocked her head to one side, observing my expression. A fox-like spirit rose in her tone. "Want to make a bet?" I smiled and nodded my head. "What card do you need?" she asked me.

"The Ace of Diamonds," I stated.

"How ironic," she muttered under her breath. "Well then, if it's the Ace of Diamonds, I win the bet –"

I cut her off before she could finish. "And if it's not, then I win," I ended her statement with a smile.

"The loser has to do whatever the winner wishes," she added, sounding slightly cocky.

"Fine with me. Just know that your odds aren't looking very good," I replied, sounding just as cocky as she did. I flipped the card over, letting a "hah!" escape as I did. I looked at her to see her reaction at defeat, but instead, she was smiling. Confused, I looked at the card. My jaw dropped. I couldn't believe it. I picked up the card, which had the Ace of Diamonds on it.

She giggled. "Looks like I win," she gleefully stated. I let loose my third sigh of the night.

"So, what do you wish of me, Queen of Diamonds," I joked. "Or should I say, Empress of Diamonds." I laughed, referring to her associated Major Arcana the Empress.

She blushed. "I don't really know . . . I didn't actually think about that," she said, her voice soft and faint. "I'll give you my answer tomorrow night; I hope the suspense will be killing you!" she exclaimed normally before quickly walking off to her room upstairs. Running off like that, keeping me in suspense. It was her way of making sure she kept me interested, but she should know by now that she doesn't need to work that hard to keep my attention.

* * *

I constantly glanced up at her, making sure she didn't move too much. She was being a good model, simply reading her book with little movement, if any at all. The Art Club decided to have a small competition among its members. The subject of our drawings had to be a person, and sad to say, I was not very good at portraits. Sweat beaded my forehead as I stared at the picture so far. My portrait of her was not going very well at all; it was probably more of a disgrace to her beauty than anything else. "So how's it coming?" she asked, looking up from her book. She was surprised when she took in the sight of me, perspiring more than usual. "What? Is it that bad?"

I sighed and nodded. "I . . . just can't seem to concentrate, I guess. I know I'm not amazingly good at portraits, but it shouldn't look this bad," I complained. She gave me a look that said "you're just judging yourself too harshly."

She kept staring at me, making me nervous. "Why did you decide to draw a portrait of me?" she wondered. I avoided her gaze by focusing on my left shoe.

"Well, you mean a great deal to me so I wanted to make sure I would always have something that reminded me of you. But, I'm so nervous about drawing your portrait that my hands are shaking and I can't seem to concentrate on drawing." I was so much in a trance that I didn't feel part of the couch next to me sink under someone's weight. I snapped to and noticed that her hand was on mine.

"You should just draw from your heart. Don't think about what anyone else will think of it. Draw me the way you see me," she reassured.

Softly, I smiled. "You're right." She went back to her seat and resumed her reading. Sprawling out as much as I could, I got comfortable on the couch. My mind was clear now, all except for one thing. _Her_. It was her way of making sure I'd never forget about her, not that I could even if I wanted to.

* * *

The day at school had been long and tiring, so I eagerly ran up to my room as soon as I got back to the dorm. The Swim Team's training was tough, but fun. The water, however, was not fun. It was freezing cold, and I longed for the warm water from my shower. After locking my door, I stripped and stepped into the shower. I turned the hot water on high, shivering as it ran over my skin. While I was in there, I decided I might as well wash my hair too. About to rinse my hair, I heard a knock on my door. I turned the shower off so I could her the person clearly. "Who is it?" I asked. I ran my hands through my hair, trying to get any left behind shampoo that I missed while I waited for the person's answer.

"It's me, Mitsuru," said the familiar female voice.

"Oh, hey. Is everything okay? Wait, gimme a sec. Let me dry off and get some clothes on, and I'll be out there in a bit," I said, reaching for a towel to dry off with.

"No, it's not that important." She paused. "Just come to my room once the others go to bed. I've decided what I want you to do for me," she whispered to my door.

"Sure," I said, hoping that I masked the excitement in my voice. "Hmm . . . I'll need a secret knock so you know that it's me." I heard her laugh quietly to herself. "I know! I'll knock twice on the door and slightly kick the bottom part of the door."

"Very well," she responded. "I'll be waiting for your 'secret knock'." I could hear the playfulness in her voice as she spoke. The sound of her footsteps disappeared as she walked down the hall and upstairs to her room.

* * *

My head popped out of my door and into the second floor's hallway. The coast was clear. I looked at my watch. It was one in the morning. _I hope she won't be angry that it took me so long._ I proceeded down the hall, attempting to be as quiet as humanely possible. I was about to ascend the stairs when I heard a noise come from the bathrooms to my right. The men's bathroom door started opening. I began to panic. I looked around for a place to hide, but there was nothing that I could conceal myself with. _No choice._I ran towards the women's bathroom and lightly closed the door behind me. I sighed as I heard one of my dorm-mates walk back to his room. I counted to ten before stepping back outside. Upstairs, her room was the closest one to the stairs. I knocked twice before lightly kicking the lower part of her door. I heard a click, and the door opened. I walked in, admiring the expensive-looking furniture around me. "Takeshi," she said, sitting on the maroon couch.

I sat next to her. "So, what's this wish of yours?" I asked her.

Her face turned crimson. She fiddled with her fingers, not making any eye contact. "I . . .," she hesitated. "I wish that you would . . . spend tonight with me." I had assumed that was what she wanted when she called me up here, but hearing her say those words just . . . made my heart race.

Before answering, I swallowed a huge lump in my throat. "Of course," I said with a grin. She looked confused. "But, you know, you didn't have to win a bet just to get me to come up here. I would have come if you had just asked." I laughed; she blushed.

"Takeshi," she whispered. "I want to be with you, but I know that it can't happen right now so I wanted to be with you for at least one night." She paused. "I know I'm being selfish, but I can't hel–" I pressed my lips to hers, cutting her off from speaking. In her shock, she slightly resisted, but after a few seconds, she accepted the embrace. We sat on her couch, enjoying the warmth from the other. _I wish the morning would never come._"Takeshi," she whispered once again. "I don't want this night to ever end." It was her way of telling me that she loved me, and I felt the exact same way toward her.

**

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Feedback, feedback. Feedback, feedback. Isn't that some kind of Janet Jackson song? Maybe I'm imagining things now. . .

**HOLY CRAP THE MESH MONSTER IS DELUSIONAL! THE ONLY WAY TO FREE ME FROM MY HALLUCINATIONS IS TO R&R!**

**Yes. . . I'm THAT desperate. XD**


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